The creators of Skylanders: Swap Force are operating in an impossible place where the physical and digital realms coexist. As with its forebears, the game disk is packaged with a trio of real-world, impressive-quality action figures and a "Portal of Power" which plunges them into the game. The Portal is a plastic pedestal that can be plugged into the console. When one of the bundled figurines is placed on it, their likeness immediately appears in-game as a playable character.

It's a surprisingly magical process, even for adults far outside the target age demographic. Swap Force's new trick is that some of the toys can be divided and reassembled with other Skylanders, creating new characters to toss into the game. As with the series' former iterations, many more figurines that open new gameplay elements are available separately.

Behind that core system exists a polished fantasy-themed kids' game. At worst, mechanically it's familiar, offering a mix of exploration, combat, item-collecting and puzzle-solving. But each of those elements is realised with flair, and the production values – from the visuals and audio to the character performances and world design – are a triumph, trumping typical games built for youngsters.